


Safe Haven

by Sasassy



Series: Tumblr Requests [8]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Blood and Gore, Gen, Major Character Injury, Mental Instability, Tokyo Ghoul Spoilers, Tokyo Ghoul: re
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-30
Updated: 2015-11-30
Packaged: 2018-05-04 02:21:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5316893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sasassy/pseuds/Sasassy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His world was spinning out of control, so he did the only thing he could do.</p><p>Haise followed his instincts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safe Haven

 

_Keep moving. Come on, keep moving._

 

Blood dripping.

 

_Please go on, just a bit further._

 

Haise was disoriented, he couldn’t hear well with his heart beating a staccato in his head and the blood clogging his ear shells, couldn’t see well with the way blood dripped down his face and into his eyes. He just followed his instincts, legs moving on their own in a direction he couldn’t identify yet, stumbling against brick walls and trash cans, tripping over his own heavy and clumsy feet and scraping his knees and chin on the rough concrete, as he couldn’t seem to catch his fall. He couldn’t even feel those new injuries, the scrapes and cuts littering his body nothing compared to the dull throb of his right arm and the pain splitting his head.

 

_Move move move. Go faster you weak bastard. MOVE!_

Haise fell to his knees again, clutching his head with his remaining hand while his stump bluntly knocked against his temple.

 

”Stop screaming!” he cried out at himself, his own voice breaking as the voice in his head only got louder and louder, egging him on, begging him to move.

 

So he did, forcing himself to move forward, despite the pain cursing through his body with a vengeance, despite the dizziness dulling his senses, despite the tears dripping down his cheeks.

 

 _Finally!_ Kaneki sobbed in relief just as Haise felt that last bit of strength he’d had left draining from him and his legs gave out. In his haze he could feel his body hitting the concrete with full force, but it didn’t even feel like he was part of that. He felt like a distant viewer, watching himself

 

His vision blackened out.

 

 

##

 

 

”Fucking strays,” Touka grumbled as she heard the low _thump_ right outside of their building. This area had a minor problem with stray animals, but for Touka is was bordering on major, with all the sleep she’d lost due to her heightened hearing and their annoying noises at night. ”If you took a dump right at the entrance again, I’m gonna kill you with my bare hands,” she huffed and flipped her blanket off of her, swinging her legs over the edge of her bed.

 

The first thing she sensed when she opened the door at the bottom of the staircase connecting their private apartment to :Re, was the scent of blood flooding her nose.

But she couldn’t see anyone or anything inside the café.

 

”What the hell?” she mumbled as she slowly approached the door. If she the smell was this strong in here, through the thick wall and door, than it had to be a lot of blood.

”Yomo!” she called out just loudly enough for him to hear. She knew he would come running immediately, he always did when she called. True enough, she could hear shuffling upstairs not even a second later.

 

Placated by the knowledge that he was on his way and ready to help her out should she need it, Touka dared to open the door just a crack, just enough to peek outside and quickly scan the area. She couldn’t see anything on her eye level or out on the streets, no people, no ghouls, and no stray animals. But the thick tang of blood cloyed her nostrils and she felt her mouth water.

 

The smell was delicious, yet unusual.

 

It seemed almost oddly ... familiar.

 

Touka froze as cold realisation ran down her spine and settled in her stomach and her grip on the door handle tightened, leaving her knuckles white.

A pained grimace contorted her face as she mechanically moved her head, tilting it until she could look down at her feet.

 

She screamed.

 

No amount of self-restrain she had could have prevented the horrified sound from leaving her throat as her eyes fell onto the motionless body to her feet. If it wasn’t for the smell of his blood, Touka wouldn’t have been able to recognise him. His hair was so drenched and matted with blood, it looked dark and dirty red. His clothes were torn to shreds, especially his shirt.

Touka noticed that she was still frozen to the spot and close to hyperventilating as she took in Haise’s battered appearance. She wanted to help but she couldn’t move.

 

”Touka, what happened?” came Yomo’s worried voice from the staircase and she managed to get out a dry gasp as she pushed the door completely open. Yomo cursed and was at her side in an instant, kneeling down to have a look at Haise.

 

”Is he ...”

 

”Alive, but weak,” Yomo said and Touka couldn’t decide whether he sounded more relieved or worried. Finally she found her body unlocking and she fell to her knees right beside Yomo.

 

”Let’s get him inside,” she ordered and reached out to touch Haise. Just before she could actually make contact, she hesitated. ”His arm ...”

 

”It’s a clean cut,” Yomo said while he got up and went outside, stepping over Haise’s body to grab his legs, while Touka reached for his shoulders. They gently turned him over, finding his face slack. He was out cold.

 

It took a bit of careful pulling and shoving until Haise was sheltered inside the safety of :Re. Yomo kneeled down again and picked him up, one arm around his shoulders, the other one hooked underneath his knees.

 

”Could you clean up the blood so no one comes following his trail?”

 

Touka nodded reluctantly but she went to the broom closet anyway, picking up bleach. She’d rather be at Haise’s side but she couldn’t drag him upstairs on her own. Yomo could, so she would take care of ridding themselves of any hints.

 

There was so much blood on the doorstep that Touka’s stomach turned. How could he still be alive after losing so much of it? With shaking hands she went to mop the puddle up, careful to remove every last drop of it before she went over the concrete with bleach as well. Just to make sure she followed the trail of his blood for a few miles, removing stray drops and puddles where he had probably paused to gather his strength, until she was sure no one would be able to trace him back to :Re.

 

If he came here in this condition instead of seeking help with the CCG, there had to be a reason for it.

 

It took her three hours to clean up and the sun was already rising as she set foot inside :Re.

 

”How is he?” was the first thing Touka asked as she entered the apartment. She could see that Yomo had cleaned Haise up. His hair was back to its usual black and grey colouring, although it seemed darker to her, his skin was clean of any blood but also devoid of it. He looked so pale and frail, dressed in Yomo’s too big clothes and nestled into several blankets on the couch.

 

”Still unconscious. But I stopped the bleeding,” Yomo said and stood up from the edge of the couch. He’d probably sat there to keep watch for the last few hours. Touka placed hair hand on Yomo’s forearm, fingers squeezing in a silent thank you before she took his seat to Haise’s feet.

 

”How bad is it?”

 

”Pretty bad.” He lifted the blanket a little so Touka could see the missing right arm. It was an angry red, muscles and bones laid bare. There was only a loose piece of plastic wrap flung over it. ”I didn’t bandage it because it started to grow back when I cleaned it. It’s gonna take a long while until its fully grown back, if it even does. But I didn’t want to restrain his healing.”

 

Touka blinked in understanding.

”What else?”

 

”His back was torn up too. Maybe from excessive use of his kagune. He healed himself about an hour after I fed him.”

 

”Did he eat?” He still looked so pale, his skin almost translucent and cheeks sunken in. He didn’t look like he had eaten.

 

Yomo nodded and turned over his right arm, showing faint teeth marks to her.

”He must have starved himself for some time. After he finished what I handed to him, he tried to take a bite of me.”

 

”That idiot,” Touka huffed. Some things seemed to never change with him.

 

”If you stay with him, I’ll have a nap before I open :Re.”

 

”Maybe we should keep it closed today,” Touka suggested absent-mindedly as she reached under the blanket to take Haise’s left hand. It felt cold and clammy.

 

”I can manage it alone, if you want to stay with him. Or Nishiki could help too, I’m sure.”

 

Touka just nodded but she couldn’t tear her gaze away from Haise’s lax face. A few seconds later she could hear the door to Yomo’s room closing, giving them some privacy.

 

”What happened to you, you idiot?” she asked in a whisper. Her tears came quickly then, crying for him and in his stead, for all the hardships he still had to go through. Would he never be able to live a less horrible life?

 

The sun had already risen and Yomo left to open the café, when Haise finally stirred and uttered a few pained groans.

 

His eyes opened. Closed again. Re-opened and flitted around the room in confusion until they fixed on her.

”Touka? Where am I?”

 

”Haise?” she asked quietly to try and make sure he was fully aware of his surroundings.

 

Haise’s mouth twitched weakly.

”Amongst others.”

 

Touka frowned and stared at him imploringly.

”Amongst others?” she asked.

 

He took a deep breath and winced, shifting in discomfort as he seemed to become aware of his multiple wounds again. But then he looked at her again, focused and sharp.

”Have you ever heard of a Kaneki Ken?”

 

For a second Touka just sat there, silently, unmoving. But then Haise smiled a sheepish and pained smile and it felt so familiar that her heart ached with melancholy.

 

”You ...”

 

”Remember. Not everything, but enough. You, for ex- ,” he answered and found himself with an armful of Touka as she hugged him tightly. His arms came up to hold her close and he pressed his face into her neck, soaking up her warmth and familiar scent that had him crying the first time he saw her in :Re. This time as well, he could feel himself tearing up.

 

He knew he wouldn’t be okay for a long time, still. Maybe he would never be okay again.

But for now he basked in her caring embrace and he knew, with his regained family by his side, he could get through about anything.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hurt myself writing this. But at least the ending is happy.


End file.
